2005 Academy Award Nominations Announced

By Rich Drees

     January 25, 2005- The nominations for the 77^th annual Academy Awards were announced this morning and once again they were a mixed bag of expected names and a fair share of surprises over who did or did not receive a nomination.

Director Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio on the set of The Aviator.

     Leading the pack this year in total nominations was director Martin Scorsese’s Howard Hughes bio-pic The Aviator with 11 nominations including Best Picture, Director, Actor for star Leonardo DiCaprio, Supporting Actor for Alan Alda’s turn as a slimy Senator and Supporting Actress for Cate Blanchett for her portrayal of actress Katherine Hepburn.

     Finding Neverland, the story of how “Peter Pan” creator J. M. Barrie’s relationship with a young widow and her sons inspired him to create his classic character, and Clint Eastwood’s boxing drama Million Dollar Baby earned seven nominations a piece. The sleeper indie hit Sideways garnered five nominations including Best Adapted Screenplay, Picture and Director.

     Jamie Foxx earned the rare honor of capturing two acting nominations- one for his lead role in Ray, based on the life of soul singer Ray Charles and for his supporting role in the thriller Collateral. Foxx is the first actor to do so since Al Pacino’s 1992 double nomination for Scent Of A Woman and his supporting work in Glengarry Glen Ross.

     There is a slight feeling of déjà vu in the lead actress category as Annette Benning (Being Julia) and Hillary Swank (Million Dollar Baby) find themselves squaring off against each other again. The last time the two actresses were nominated together was in 2000 with Swank winning for Boys Don’t Cry. Also nominated were Catalina Sandino Moreno (Maria Full of Grace), Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake) and Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

The Incredibles

     Although animated films now have their own Best Picture category, many were pleasantly surprised to see that director Brad Bird’s screenplay for his delightful The Incredibles nominated, leading some writers and critics to speculate what the film’s chances would be if allowed to compete against its live action counterparts for overall Best Picture. Also surprising in the Best Animated Film category is the nomination of the lackluster Shark Tale over The Polar Express.

     However, there were some notable absences from the list that raised eyebrows among critics and reporters. Actor Paul Giamatti was considered by many to be a sure thing in the Best Actor category after winning the New York Film Critic’s award for his work in Sideways. Although nominated for a Director’s Guild award for Finding Neverland, Marc Foster failed to receive a similar nomination from the Academy.

     Kinsey, The Passion Of The Christ and Fahrenheit 9/11 all failed to generate the nominations that many assumed they would. Kinsey only netted a Best Supporting Actress nomination for Laura Linney while The Passion Of The Christ only scored nominations in the more technical categories of cinematography, makeup and original score. Michael Moore’s controversial anti- President Bush documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 failed to glean any nominations.

     Despite receiving wide spread critical acclaim, China’s House Of Flying Daggers directed by Yimou Zhang didn’t receive a nomination for Best Foreign Film. It did receive a nomination for cinematography for Xiaoding Zhao.

     The 77^th Annual Academy Awards will be presented on Sunday February 27. The event will be telecast in the United States on the ABC network starting at 8 pm eastern/ 5 pm pacific. Comedian Chris Rock will host.

     Click here for a complete list of nominees.

     Click here for news on the two Honorary Academy Awards to be given out during the Awards telecast.